Sunday, June 29, 2014

Ah those loveable Chicago Cubs!One of the most futile franchises in
professional sports may not raise eyebrows on the field but inadvertently managed
to raise some issues regarding gays and sportscasting.

Chicago Pride

On June 29, for the first time
in 82 years, the Cubs did not schedule a Sunday game at Wrigley Field.The reason for this anomaly is that traffic
congestion and gridlock would cause a commuting nightmare near the venerable ballpark
due to the fact Chicago is holding its annual LGBT Pride parade in the area.

The Washington Nationals—one of my
favorite teams—played the weekend at Chicago and were the recipients of this
rare Sunday off (as were the Cubs, of course).The Nats’ TV announcers, Bob Carpenter and F.P. Santangelo pointed out
several times from the series leading up to the Nats’ date with the Cubbies into
the weekend itself that a game would not be played on Sunday because of a “pride
parade.”

There was no further explanation
provided.It wasn’t described as a “gay
pride parade” or maybe an “LGBT pride parade,” just a generic,
non-controversial “pride parade.”Santangelo did admit he understands the reason for not scheduling the
game but all he offered was his lament that he cannot spend a Saturday night
out in the Windy City.

The avoidance by this
broadcasting duo to impart the true reason for the non-scheduling of the Sunday
game came as no surprise given that they never mentioned, to my knowledge, the semi-annual
Night Out with the Nationals events.

But wait.The second game of a day-night doubleheader on
Saturday was telecast over Fox.An
opportunity between pitches existed for play-by-play man Kenny Albert, a son of
sportscasting legend Marv Albert, and the aforementioned F.P. Santangelo doing
the color for the telecast to explain to perhaps to a different audience why the
Sunday game was not scheduled.Albert
described it as a “pride parade” but he hesitated before “pride.”

It was almost like he wanted to
say “gay pride” or something like that but caught himself as if he was about to
drop the “f-bomb.”It may have been an
equivalent the way he paused.

At least the word “pride” was
used during the week and the hope that most people would be sufficiently knowledgeable
so that the dreaded “g-word” would not have to be uttered.

The Orioles telecast on Sunday
presented another opportunity.But
instead of chalking up the scheduling matter in Chicago as some form of pride
event, Orioles broadcaster Gary Thorne threw “pride" under the bus.He avoided it altogether referring to the
traffic snarls being caused by a Wrigleyville parade.Good gracious!Famed sports broadcaster Howard Cosell always believed that people in that profession are journalists and should report events factually and truthfully: "telling it like it is," he used to preach. The reluctance to utter "gay pride" by these announcers failed the Cosell test.

One cannot draw any conclusions
from this nonsense because we don’t know what the producers want their
announcers to say or avoid saying.Nonetheless, it demonstrates that if the subject of a gay baseball player surfaces for
whatever reason, there is still discomfort in the booth, and that’s something to
which we should pay attention.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Pride became the hottest topic
in the two months leading up to the annual event.When is it going to take place?Why did it move?What about the block party?etc., etc., etc.

More room to roam this Pride

It’s not that these aren’t
legitimate questions.They are.Pride has been growing for years and more of
the community has either participated in the festivities or are at least aware
of Pride.Much of the uncertainty for
this year’s edition can be attributed to the GLCCB, who has run Pride for over
35 years, for being slow out of the gate in disseminating the information that
would have quelled most of the questions and suspicion.

However, logistical issues, such
as delays in permit requests and other requirements that are not visible to the
general public but are essential in carrying out this large enterprise,
prevented an early release of the information. It wasn’t that they were
deliberately trying to perpetuate a mystique.

One of the complaints raised had
to do with the move to the Artscape area from the familiar Eager and Charles locale
that had been the venue for the block party for over a decade. This was not a result of some sinister plan;
it was out of necessity, and it wasn’t a last minute decision either as some
suspect.

Former executive director Matt
Thorn announced to the GLCCB Advisory Committee last July—merely a month
removed from the 2013 Pride—that the Center was considering a move to the Mount
Royal area where Artscape takes place.Therefore,
the move had been contemplated for quite a while.

Recall just days before Pride
last year the controversy led by the City Café’s concerns regarding underage
drinking and sanitation issues at the block party.The GLCCB complied with the request or demand
depending on how you look at it that the block party would begin at Morton and
Eager—a block away from the City Café—restricting the celebration to an even
smaller area.No doubt, the resulting
brouhaha propelled the Center’s leadership to consider alternative sites.

Of course, the rumblings about
the move to Mount Royal followed.“It
lacked the celebratory nature we’re accustomed to,” said one.“It was too organized,” said several.Those who like to consume a lot of alcohol
and act “trashy,” as one put it, objected to the new venue.Though alcoholic drinks could be purchased at
two beer gardens, customers were confined to the fenced-in areas.Some said they would never participate again;
others said that they didn’t attend this year because of the changes.

What’s being overlooked here are
the countless members of the community who avoided past Prides because of the
mayhem at the block party and who favor the change.The previous block party site was simply too
crowded.Vendors lined up on both sides
of Eager St. narrowing the street further.Some folks plunked down lawn chairs on the sidewalk that impeded the
flow of foot traffic even more.

I was bothered, as were so many
others, that navigating through the block party in the past was nearly
impossible.Few places to sit and little
shade available made the experience worse.

Thus, you can count me in as one
of those who were happy about the move.Am
I completely satisfied about this year’s Pride?No, but I give the Center high marks for attempting to run a major event
for the first time in a new space.

With some tweaks to improve the
operation, Pride should be enjoyable for years to come.I do say, however, that the second day should
have remained at Druid Hill Park.It was
a good location to enjoy the laid back essence of the day, relax and have a
good time.As a contrast to the frenetic
block party, it attracted more families to the event as well.

Having both days’ celebrations
at the same place should be reconsidered.It was essentially more of the same on both days with some minor changes,
yet an argument could be made that people who could not attend on one day could
do so on the other.You can also argue
for a single one-day celebration if the park is not an option.

Asking less affluent LGBT groups
or non-profits to pay higher fees for a space and requiring a two-day
commitment if they choose to participate was ill-advised. The vendor roster
became too commercialized, too corporate and priced out these smaller yet
valuable organizations.

The beer gardens should have
tables and chairs as most similar set-ups do.Standing around in a pen drinking looks like people standing around in a
pen drinking.Better access to the beer
garden near the Main Stage is desirable, so the hillside, which was packed on
Saturday, needs a pathway to the beer garden site.

Also, more security—either by
the GLCCB or the police—is needed towards the end of the Saturday event to
discourage scuffles at closing time.It’s a wider perimeter to protect at this new site.

I am certain there are other
areas of improvement, but these come to mind.I give the GLCCB kudos for its overall administration of this year’s
Pride and its desire to keep it fun and manageable.This organization is comprised mostly of
volunteers so cut them a little slack.

They had to endure a move to a
new headquarters and a change in the executive director position all during the
months leading up to Pride.They still
carried it off and needed to since this is the GLCCB’s most significant
fundraiser each year.To its credit, the
Center will welcome community input on this past event and plan for next year’s
during town hall meetings to be scheduled in July.

The operation of Pride will
never reach a full consensus throughout our communities.But the move is a good beginning to build on.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

If you never contemplated your
purpose in life, raise your hands.Not
that many rose I see.

#hocoarts
﻿﻿﻿﻿

Photo: Stan Barouh

Identifying one’s purpose in
life is the central theme in Avenue Q—a
clever, funny, poignant and uplifting story of young adults navigating their
way through real-life’s unforeseen challenges to fulfill their dreams.The satirical musical, currently playing at
the Olney Theatre Center, also has its raunchy, racy and potty-mouthed moments.

In a unique device for musical
theatre, Avenue Q uses puppets as
part of the storyline. They combine the joy and brashness of those loveable
characters seen in PBS’ Sesame Street
from which Avenue Q’s characters were
inspired and parodied by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx who wrote the music and
lyrics with the latter having interned at the program earlier in his career.The irony is that the characters represented
in Avenue Q’s puppets deal with adult
themes contrasting with those on the children’s TV show Sesame Street. The book was
penned by Jeff Whitty.

Monday, June 09, 2014

LGBTQ Pride for many in today’s
generation means an opportunity to party and celebrate.Sadly, many don’t even know what they are
celebrating.No joke; they don’t. They are ignorant of the past and what their
elders had to overcome to reach a point today when there is actually something
to celebrate.

Proud at Pride

Not that things are perfect, but
life is a whole lot easier today for those who are gay, bi and lesbian.Not so much yet for transgender folks though improvements
have begun and should continue, albeit at a slower pace.Progress won’t fully occur until what it
means to be transgender is more understood by the masses.

So every year at this time I
reflect on the meaning of Pride.Am I
proud that I’m gay?Of course not.It’s not an accomplishment.It’s nothing I worked for where I succeeded
in becoming gay.I’m no more proud of
being gay than my being left-handed or that I have brown eyes.As in the case of these other traits, it’s
who I am—for better or worse.

When the notion of “gay pride”
was formulated, it followed the Stonewall uprising (45th anniversary
this month) whereby people who have been oppressed by the police, by the Mafia
bar owners, by society in general took a stand and fought back.It wasn’t so much that people were proud they
were LGBT but that instead they were fed up at being shamed for being who they
are. I was too, but it took me much longer to summon up the courage to find my
path.In fact, way too long.

Like many in my generation, I
felt shamed by society because I was gay.As I was compelled to hide in the closet, I was not aided by support
groups to assure me that I am not alone.There were no such things like the Internet to keep me informed. A
paucity of books on the subject.No
social media to establish connections. Nothing.

I could never think of
disclosing my sexuality to my family.I
never shared this aspect of me with my friends, even my close friends.I always felt pressure to do the “straight”
stuff socially, especially during my college years, and it was like trying to
write with your opposite hand.

While I had a nice job, I could
never come out; there were no employment protections.When I was drafted into the Army, I obviously
couldn’t reveal the fact that I was gay, yet ironically it was during that
experience I came out.By coming out I
don’t mean broadcasting publicly my sexual orientation. Rather, it was the
self-realization that this is who I am; I’m no longer deceiving myself thinking
and hoping that it was a “phase” and soon I will be like everyone else.

I patronized gay bars after
being told where they were in NYC by the soldier with whom I had my first gay
sexual experience.Even then I was
cautious and peeked around before I went in to ensure that no one I knew
witnessed my entering a gay establishment.

When I moved to the Baltimore
area in late 1977, still closeted, I was a little more open especially at work
but not much.That is mainly due to the
fact my section contained other gays and lesbians.I still could have been fired and could have
been evicted from my apartment.Lord
knows my neighbors had to suspect!

I began writing for the then Gay Paper in 1980 but declined to spell
out my last name in the bylines for a while.Then I grew a pair and reasoned that if anyone happened to see my name
in the publication, the question begs, what made you pick up something called The Gay Paper?

I already had met Bob Ford by
then who was also in the closet.We
attended Pride events each year, but were cautious not to be caught in the lens
of the TV news cameras during the time such events were considered newsworthy
by the mainstream media.

Gradually, I summoned up the
courage to liberate myself. I became much more comfortable with who I am, and
having Bob at my side during this journey has been key.I made sure my family knew the truth, and
they accepted Bob and I unconditionally.My newspaper bylines contained my full name as did the many letters to
the editors of a number of publications.I was a little more out at work but still pretty private to most people
even though they suspected or assumed I was gay.

The single most dramatic turn
occurred on July 23, 2009 when I married Bob in Provincetown, Ma.After 29 years together, I think it was
time—especially because I loved him so much (and still do), it was legal in
that state, and there were rumblings at the time Maryland was going to
recognize it.

When we returned I posted a
notice on Facebook, and my neighbors, former co-workers and other friends
applauded us and wished us well.Not
that they were surprised but they like us and were sincerely happy for us.It was the turning point with a lifetime of
weight lifted off of my shoulders and for Bob as well.

Coming out is what we should be
proud of.That’s where the pride is—the
removal of any shame for being who you are.Yes, Pride is equated with drinking and reveling.But coming out and seeing the advances myself
and other LGBT folks have experienced is what really defines Pride.

Sunday, June 08, 2014

There are three groups of theatergoers
who will particularly enjoy the Iron Crow Theatre Company’s production of Bareback Ink: aficionados of Greek
mythology, gay men, and folks who appreciate a well-directed production with stellar
acting performances—or any combination of these.However, if you are not in the first group,
you may not comprehend the symbolism contained in the play, which could
mitigate to some extent any enjoyment derived from being in the other two
groups.

In true Iron Crow form, the production
takes an unconventional script with edgy themes and sexuality infused throughout.Being the only queer theatre company in
Baltimore, Iron Crow has consistently produced plays featuring a gay angle with
some containing a good dose of homoeroticism.This production follows that model.

Bareback Ink, a play
written by Bob Bartlett that appeared at the Capitol Fringe and the Edinburgh
Fringe in 2012, is loosely based on the Greek mythological characters Zeus,
Ganymede and Hephaestus.The all-powerful
Zeus abducted the beautiful and youthful Trojan Ganymede to be his lover, controlling
and raping the lad.Hephaestus, the god of fire,
especially the blacksmith’s fire, was the patron of all craftsmen.

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About Me

This blog contains a compilation of recent articles--mostly political and local theatre reviews-- appearing in MD Theatre Guide, Baltimore OUTloud, Washington Blade, Gay Life, Outsports.com, published letters, and commentary. My letters to the editor have appeared in such publications as TIME, USA Today, Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Columbia Flier/Howard County Times, City Paper (Baltimore)and Washington Blade.
NOTE: No individual postings may be reproduced without written consent by me.
I have a wonderful partner who has been the love of my life since February 1980. I married my partner July 23, 2009 in Provincetown, MA--our first and favorite vacation spot.
Comments are welcome directly on the blog.
Find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Steve.Charing) and follow me on Twitter (@SteveCharing) and on Instagram (steveclarksville).